Drones come in lots of sizes. The bigger models are capable of carrying significant payloads.

Prices for these drones have dropped dramatically. And they are widely available.

I have thought it was only a matter of time before they would be used for a terror attack.

Islam as a rule shuts down the intellectual creative process within Muslims. The only exception is in creating new way to kill. You can be sure some Muslim will use a drone for jihad.

If Muslims can create the crotch and butt bomb surely they will use a drone.

Mark

Quick, find Jack Bauer! He stopped them last time. I’m sure he can do it again!

John

How much weight can a drone carry? Then again, even if it’s only a couple of kilos, that would be sufficient to do a lot of damage if plastic explosives were used.

Imagine if you were to release a whole swarm of them? The ensuing panic could see thousands trampled to death.

tom_billesley

An M67 grenade weighs less than half a kilo.

Hard Little Machine

Small drones have at best a few minutes of air time and a few hundred yards of range. You need to spend a great deal of money to own something large enough to lift a 6 pack and hoist it a mile. Real UAVs cost even more.

simus1

Given the mayhem panicked crowds can easily create, a few drones carrying Roman Candle fireworks, home made napalm, and acid sprayers crashing down among the drunks and druggies should do the job.

Waffle

Don’t give them any more ideas than they probably have already.

Jay Currie

Well, that or sheer boredom at a third level event.

simus1

A possible theory for Pan Scam’s lack of public interest: Being bored to death is a very unpopular way to leave this vale of tears.

The drones that they sell for inspecting bridges and towers cost about 20k. Those drones have cameras that allow you to see what the drone sees from upto a mile away. They also can carry a couple of pounds in cargo with flight times of 40 minutes – I assume the flight time drops quickly at max cargo. assume a drone fitted with a AN/M14 grenade. If it is detonated say 50 feet above a crowd; the blast would through the thermite out to an area up to 70 feet across. The filler will burn at 4000F for 40 seconds which is long enough to melt through 1/2″ steel. So if they set one off over a crowd at a soccer (or football for british folks) match you would likely get the thermite onto 40 or 50 people easily. Anyone who was hit would have a hole burned through them. The panic this would set off cause people to be crushed in the stampede. Or they could fly a dozen cheap ones over the walls of a stadium and have one explode, even if it did no injuries the panic would do the rest.

AlanUK

Lidl is a relatively new supermarket chain but one making real in-roads over here. Last week they had a 4-rotor drone on sale for under £25. Obviously it would have limited range and lifting power but it shows how cheap they are getting.